Momentary Ascension
by Bolo42
Summary: An unusual digimon fights fiercely, first as he is dragged through part of the digital world, and then as he emerges in Japan. Short story to help set the scene for my upcoming interlude into the Tamers universe, about the events that happened prior. Set in 2012, quite a while after the events of Tamers, this is linked to my meta-fiction drabble.
1. Preface

Preface

The faint light pulses softly, sweetly; dim shapes out lit, past tales, future chronicles, waiting. The chest cavity of the armored digimon opens with a hiss. Now it rests on its haunches, tarnished and pitted by action - it kneeled that way too, its body moving with a slight jerking motions as it slowly descended.

They, the witnesses, would feel the silhouettes before they saw anything conclusive - but down and forward the boy's upper body fell into the grass and forest floor with a soft thump. Wires trailed from his torso and band around his head as his arms slipped from whatever they grasped, having evidently been engaged in servo-sockets of some kind.

"What a plot twist!" exclaimed the bunny-dog, surprised as the rest of the group.

"I suppose that explains why the signal seemed similar to a biomerge," his partner, Henry, scratched his chin.

"Is he alright, Renamon?" asked Rika as her partner examined the boy - no, young man, along with Guilmon.

"He seems fine - his heartbeat sounds normal," the kitsune replied. She cocked her head briefly, as if trying to take in something from the figure before her that lay deep within. "Although I am getting an odd vibe from him..."

Takato approached, coming up alongside his partner, who was busy concentrating on what he could pick up through smell. His eyes were drawn to the small screen that lay behind the headrest, it displayed a symbol like the digital hazard, but inverted, and green rather than red.

"Heuristics disentangled," chimed a small synthetic voice from within the chest cavity. "Disengaging Non-Invasive Synaptic Link."

"It's de-digivolving," noted Guilmon as his head perked up.

"I wonder what it's Rookie form looks like," mused Takato, art and design always on his mind.

In a warm glow, the mechanoid collapsed, briefly condensing into a dragon shape of sorts, before the wings merged into the body, leaving a distinctive saurian outline as the glow subsided.

"Say, isn't that one of the Tamer's that Suzie and Lopmon are keeping an eye on in America?" Rika was the first to comment.

"I do believe you're right," replied Henry.

In a flitting dart of small shapes that emerged and whirled, the two were absorbed in a faint glow, and dissipated into a stream of particles of light that was soon gone.

"I guess there _is_ more work ahead," sighed Takato.

"Clearly," nodded Rika.

* * *

Approximately 4.5 Hours Previously...

"What's the situation?" asked Yamaki, as he walked to the center of the now expanded control room.

"Our scans are picking up a number of ruptures at the boundaries of the digital world at the first and second layers," Riley exclaimed as the hands of multiple operators flew over keyboards. "It would seem that there was a spate of bio-emergences on the east coast of the United States, despite the increased security presence there. However, the largest one seems to have been unsuccessful due to unknown causes.

"How so?"

"After the initial bio-emergence, within 10 minutes and before the process was completed, the field became unstable and inverted."

"Almost as if something was pushing it back..." murmered Yamaki as the analysis chart flowed on the screen in front of him. "Let me guess," he said, pushing up his sunglasses ever so slightly, "it's the anomaly zone an hour south of Boston, isn't it?"

"That's correct," nodded Riley, "and it seems that whatever's going on, we'll find out about it soon enough," she turned toward him as one of her subordinates finished slipping her some info. **"Apparently, since the inverted field is still unstable, it'll pass through the digital world like a drogue net before carrying whatever's caught in its wake this way. From what I understand, it's going to take a few hours to get here, so we've got some time to prepare for it."**

"And the month had been going so well too," said Yamaki sardonically with a half-sigh. "Anything we can do about it?"

Shibumi says at best they'll be able to deflect it so that the center, with the most powerful digimon, will arrive in one of the rural, forested areas outside the city; the rest that do pop up will be a low enough level that the younger Tamers can easily take care of it should they prove hostile."

"Nothing too unusual then, good," Yamaki smirked a little as he flicked the cover of his lighter open and closed. "Very well, carry on - I'll go notify our division in the US and leave the local situation up to you, carry on."

"See you for dinner then, sir," said Riley as she turned back to the task at hand

"Of course," he replied.


	2. Chapter 1 - At Arm's Length

Chapter 1

At Arm's Length

Digital World - 1st Layer

T+00:15:00

_The dust rises around us in this desolate landscape. It all feels so surreal, yet familiar and somehow fitting, as we bring up our gauntleted left forearm to block another attack, it is like living in a waking dream- yet now isn't the time to ponder such things._

"I don't know who or what you are," declared the creature, the ID showing up as [MetalTyrannomon-Ultimate-Virus,Cyborg], "but I'm not going to let the likes of you hold me back."

"So be it," came the two-toned reply, of two linked minds, as they dug their feet into the ground, bracing for what was to come.

Their opponent barred the glowing palms of its hands towards them, "Nuclear Laser!" the attack rang out.

They dove forward, bearing left.

The cyborgs squared off, the powerful laser grazing the right side of the armor clad warrior as it charged. Fire flared through neurons, data and circuits as the scorch left a blackened gouge, small sparks frolicking along its length. There was no time to draw a weapon, they decided in a split second - so as the lizard's claws came down to meet his foe's bulk, one was provided from within, projected from gauntlets that now glowed furiously. "Gauntlet Arms!" they roared inside.

Claws clash against the curved, dish like shield backing of the right arm-blade, as it came up to block. Blade is somewhat of a misnomer, I suppose, as it resembled more so the elongated head of a 2 pronged spork, but with more of an edge than the latter, but I digress-

As the dinosaur shoved the warrior away, both combatants failed the notice the watching eyes that gathered, drawing nearer as if entranced by the siren call of violence.

In the Southern Quadrant, it is said only the fittest survive, as the harsh laws of Darwin hold sway, sometimes in the most brutal of fashions.

"Systems heat fatigue in nominal operating parameters," rang the notice through the warrior's conjoined minds. "10% damage to lower right abdominal armor - ablatives and composites beginning to fracture."

This time the MetalTyrannomon charged, "Fire Blast!" it called as the ball of flame spewed from its mouth.

It was too close to be dodged.

Shireytaylmon* crossed his arms, and felt the scorching heat as the blades bore the blast. "Don't count me out yet!" he called as he darted for the side, cutting the dinosaur deep as he barreled past, his claw like blades glimmering with energy. The beast's tail caught him in the stomach. Startled was the only feeling Shireytaylmon felt, by sheer reflex he managed to grab hold as again he was whipped back. He had to stop it and all others to keep his home safe! _To protect..._

An iron clasp with the left hand and a stab with the right gauntlet caused MetalTyrannomon to shriek in pain - Shireytaylmon's two components grimaced at the noise and the agony contained within, but could afford to do little else as they were whipped back and forth. If they wanted to protect, to serve, they had to be steely, to deal and endure pain. His impact with the ground left an indent, practically a small crater, and he slowly picked himself up, the sand, dirt and dust rolling off him, kicking up a cloud of its own.

"_Almost got him," _one part initiated the thought.

"_Need to hit him from below or the side again to make a finishing blow," _the other agreed.

* * *

Outskirts of Tokyo, Japan - rural area

T+ 03:15:00

"Almost there," called Jian from Rapidmon's back, "the signal's getting stronger now."

"Y'know we could've gotten there faster if we'd all biomerged right?" Rapidmon said wryly.

"Yeah, well yours in particular is huge, and we don't want to give people a reason to panic now do we? Besides, according to Riley most of the ones that'll come through out here will be perfects anyhow."

"Momentai Jian, you take the fun out of everything," the cyborg rabbit replied, causing his partner to sigh, "she also said to be prepared for something unusual too."

"I'm beginning to see some broken trees," said Takoto on WarGrowlmon. "The bio-emergence must've opened up a bit off the ground, pretty unusual if you ask me - you see anything yet Ruki?"

"Nothing," the redhead called back, " it's hard to see through all the foliage."

* * *

Systems Damaged

Priority I

Rebooting Synchronization Systems

Component A - regaining consciousness

Component B - rousing

Non-Invasive Synaptic Link - active

testing efferent neuron systems ... online

testing afferent neuron systems ... online

sensory feedback initializing

motor control systems initiating

* * *

"So what are we looking at?"

The three Tamers crowded together while their partner's listened in while keeping their other eye out to look for trouble.

"Seems like at least half a dozen different signals," said Jian, with the sensor map projected from his D-Tector. "I'm having trouble getting power readings on all of them, the D-Tector's resolution isn't quite as good as the systems at Hypnos, but it seems like a few Perfects, just as expected, along with an Ultimate or two, and maybe some Champions."

"Seems like someone was throwing together a pretty good mix," Ruki said sardonically.

"Funny, I thought we were on better terms with bird brains over there by now," joked Rapidmon.

"Hasn't been a bio-emergence this powerful for a while," added Kyuubimon.

"No, there hasn't," Jian replied with a frown. "We don't know if all of them are hostile either - the sensor readings showed that a bunch of them were fighting each other right up to the point before they came through."

"Well, it looks like they're just starting to move now," said Takato, "most likely, quite a few of them were injured or stunned when they fell. Who knows, maybe some of them would be willing to negotiate?"

"Now wouldn't that just be nice," grinned Rapidmon.

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," chided Ruki, boxing his ears. "If they're this powerful, we might just have to trounce them a bit first - we'll be luck if some of them will see reason after that."

"You and Kyuubimon will take point and scout then, I take it?" replied Takato as he managed to squirm away.

"Of course," Ruki said with a little smirk," you and Jian can act as the heavy hitters as we grab their attention and whittle them down."

"Lets go then, we'll try heading to that area where the trees are flattened first, while you scan a bit afield around the perimeter," said Takato as Ruki jumped on Kyuubimon's back.

"Sounds solid," said Rapidmon, while Jian nodded.

"You ready boy?" Takato asked his partner.

"Of course Takatomon" the cyborg replied as his jets warmed up, "it's been a while since we've had to do this."

"It sure has," Takato sighed, as he remembered all the years that'd passed since their defining moment. "Probably just that Yamaki want's to make sure we're not rusty."

"Oh, I wouldn't put it down to that alone," WarGrowlmon called over the whine of the engines, "it feels like there's more to it, I can smell it."

They surged forwards.

* * *

Darkness, weary, bleak;

adrenaline pumping.

That's what we feel.

Where is our enemy, our ally?

It will all become clear soon enough-

but we must move before _they_ find us.

Combat systems online

Composite Unit 03 is fully operational

* * *

Digital World - 1st Layer

T+00:30:00

Was it the way his (their, technically) body moved, or was it the threat that entranced them - either way, they felt alive, adrenaline was rushing. The right Gauntlet Arm flickered, then dissipated as the hand beneath it reached for the holster.

It was a pistol, a very large and unique one at that; it sported both a clip and a revolver cylinder. "Bullet Score!" he grunted with the satisfying clicking motion of the trigger, sending the projectiles flying towards their target, while the shooter bore left to wheel around the beast's more vulnerable flank.

"Damn Pest!" MetalTyrannomon roared in response, the pricks, gouges stinging deeply and sending sparks flying when the bullets met metal. Data floated lazily, freely into the air.

The clip spent, Shireytaylmon surged forwards, the left Gauntlet Arm in front to block, the pistol lined up as the firing pin struck the cap of the primer that extruded from the bullet cartridge in the revolver chamber.

Vainly, MetalTyrannomon swiped with his claws as he screamed, the frangible round tore into his face, biting and tearing the flesh - but it was too late. Its opponent now mortally wounded, Shireytaylmon easily closed the remaining gap to strike the finishing blow, the Gauntlet Arm digging into the dinosaur's exposed side.

The monstrosity burst into a cloud of data, the excess bleeding off and flowing into the victor for purposes only he could divine. Now the remaining vorpal, translucent Gauntlet Arm disappeared like its brother, as bullets were pressed into the pistol so it too could be ready again.

Oddly enough, what was once the MetalTyrannomon's core grew more dense, and in a rare occurrence for the Southern Quadrant, flashed into a Digi-Egg.

_No,_ thought the unseen observer as Shireytaylmon stood up and dusted itself off, _this specimen was certainly not from around here - it definitely needed to be studied more in depth. _A grin crept across its face, _luckily, I just so happen to have the forces needed to capture such a thing at my disposal. Forces to space, in fact ..._


End file.
